Eternity in your heart
by ILycorisI
Summary: Takes place after the first game spoilers follow Edward visits his apprentice's grave and contemplates on what was left unsaid. One shot, slight EdxArmony.


There he stood, once again in front of a grave, once again incapable of protecting just one woman. It had all happened so fast, her weak hands clutching those of her father's, her last frail smile, and then her final words. The ones she gave to him in the form of a letter. Her farewell.

He wished she could have said more, no what he wished was before she went away he could have said _it_.

What would she have done if he told her?

Would she laugh with that mischievous smirk of hers saying "I knew all along," or would she have just stared at him surprised at his sudden confession?

Either way he wished he had his pride and foolishness kept him from saying it. Those three simple words, why had he assumed she would always be at his side?

Well, he was wrong, and she was gone.

He squeezed his hand into a fist ignoring the hot pulse of blood that trickled down it.

_Why?_

He kept on asking that and found no answer. Was this his punishment for meddling in god's domain? Would everything he loved leave him?

_Why!_

He pushed a lock of blonde hair from his eyes,

"I'm sorry…" Was all he could murmur as his tears fell onto his blood-smeared hand.

A sudden gust of wind made him close his eyes as he was knocked off balance. When he opened them again he noticed a solitary, white blossom land on his arm.

"An etherflower!"

Edward looked down at it, her favorite flower, and the reason they had met. Something caressed his cheek as he looked at the flower, he put a hand up to it but there was nothing there. Edward put the flower into his jacket pocket.

_"Thank you"_

He turned around to look at the grave, but there was nothing there. The only thing he saw was a white headstone and a bouquet of roses. There was no telling where the etherflower had come from.

Armony had learned alchemy in the end. Ed tried to think of this as one last transmutation. He held the flower up to his eyes and managed to smile.

_"Hey, Chibi-sensei look!" _

_"I told you not to call me that!" _

_"But look I finished."_

_Edward looked down at Armony's papers. There was a list of formulas written on them in curvy handwriting. _

_"Hey you memorized them, I guess you're not a complete lost cause" Ed said happily, putting a hand on her head. _

_"Don't treat me like a kid" His red haired student replied defiantly. _

_"Okay fine then, congrats" Edward said putting a fist out to her._

_"What are you doing?" Armony asked incredulously,_

_"Just put your hand into a fist and punch mine!"_

_"Okay…"_

_The alchemist's and alchemist-in-training's fists met in a sign of friendship._

_"There, see even you could figure that out" Ed teased._

_"Oh, shut up!"_

_Armony paused for a second then turned to Ed with mischievous smile._

_"So if I do well on my next assignment do we hold hands?"_

_Edward blushed while mumbling something incoherent._

_"No way!"_

_Armony just laughed._

"Nii-san…" Edward and Alphonse were now on the train back to central, both unusually quiet.

"Hn?"

"Well you came back late from the grave last night and… are you okay?"

Edward smirked slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine Al. I'm fine."

His mother had once told him that when a person dies they live on in the hearts of the people and things they once loved. He hadn't believed her at first but as he looked down at the flower in the palm of his hand he began to understand.

"Nii-san come on!" Alphonse waved from the crowd in front of the train station, slowly being swept away.

Ed waved back jumping down from the train,

_"Hey Ed…" _

_"Yeah?" _

_Ed and Armony sat quietly in front of the fireplace in the Eiselstein estate, Ed now looking up from his book and into Armony's eyes. _

_"Can I come on your journey with you when you leave?" She asked quietly, her eyes to the ground._

_Ed sighed his eyes softening, _

_"It's too dangerous-" _

_"I won't get in your way, please!"_

_Armony's eyes filled with tears. _

_"There's no place for me here." _

_"Don't say that! What about your father?" _

_"I'd just get in his way" Armony cried, putting a hand onto Ed's shoulder in desperation, _

_"Please…"_

_Edward let out a low sigh. _

_"The reason I can't bring you is because I care about you, you're better off here."_

_"But I'll miss you!" _

_Armony suddenly hugged Edward and her tears ran down his back. _

_"Please don't go." _

_Ed put an arm around her and looked up into her face,_

_"Someday we will have to part but by the time we meet again I'm sure you'll have become a splendid alchemist."_

_"Ed…"_

_"But hey until then I guess I don't mind you staying by my side, but how about you make me lunch in return?"_

_"In return for what?"_

_"What do you mean 'for what'? I'm teaching you alchemy aren't I!"_

_"I guess, but you're probably just desperate for real food,"_

_"Hey!"_

As Edward walked over to Al he took the etherflower out of his pocket once more,

"You said you wanted to stay by my side, and I guess I kind of wanted you to also." Edward slowly fastened the flower's stem to his pocket watch, its silver texture gleaming in the morning sun.

"Ed, come on!" Alphonse called with unusual impatience.

"Okay, okay!"

Ed quickly ran to where his brother was as the two made there way through the streets of Central.

"You know Al, I think things we'll be alright now,"

"What do you mean?"

Edward looked down at the flower now braided around his state watch and smiled.

"Eh, you'll understand when you're older."

"Nii-san you're really weird sometimes…"


End file.
